Odd post-laying behaviour in Hen could it be sign of trauma/illness? Droopy and pale comb.

[LynHen]

Hi everyone,

My 30 week old leghorn girl has been exhibiting some odd behaviour after her last few lays and this paired with her droopy and paler than normal comb has me worried it might be an underlying problem. She'll come out from laying (normally 10-15 minutes after being in the nest) and for a good ten minutes will seem exhausted and lethargic, looking very peaky, will stand still, eyes closed, neck in and act like she's straining (possibly?) or gasping, almost like she's sleeping standing up. She won't touch any food or water while she's doing this and will barely move.

Her eggs haven't got much bigger and she's laid a double yolk in the past with no problems so I'm wondering if it's another issue. After this behaviour she'll perk right back up and go on eating and act like nothing has happened for the rest of day, in fact not an hour later she was squawking for treats, which we've been more strict about!

I started noticing the droopy comb Friday (8/06, the black on her comb is just dirt) and this post-lay behaviour on Saturday. I read that the comb can become droopy in leghorns but it is big change from what it normally is.



Regarding treatment she's currently being dewormed with Verm-X and I've added some extra vitamin boost to her water, her and the other chicken have both been eating all their layer pellets and I fed them their oyster shells for calcium yesterday hopefully this covers nutrition. It's been quite warm weather so I've kept the water cool and topped up, so she can stay hydrated but I worry if she's wandering the garden all day that she isn't getting enough. Her weight hasn't changed and apart from her droopy comb she seems to be fine. Some of her droppings are a bit oily and slightly runny but she has normal ones amongst those as well and as I understand it the range of normal droppings in hens is big.

If anyone recognises this behaviour in their hens let me know. Any help and advice would be appreciated.

(I hope I'm putting this in the right place since I know it covers both laying behaviour and illness.)

 

[Tiana's chickens]

I recognise the standing up sleeping position from my own hens when they were sick with coccidiosis, it makes them lathagic and runny droppings. I'm not sure if your hen is struggling with that though, there could be so many reasons why she's acting that way, maybe she's just tired after laying?

 

[Tiana's chickens]

She's such a pretty girl

 

[HappyFeetHens]

I’m not sure about the droopy comb - I’ve seen it a lot in leghorns but I only have one and she is very young. But with other hens I’ve had, mostly RIRs and some sex-links, I’ve seen the odd position after laying. If she sort of waddles, she may have a bit of shell stuck in her vent. Even if not, a good precaution that I’ve taken many times is giving a bath in warm water mixed with some epsom salt. Wear gloves and splash water into her vent. This has saved a hen I had a few years back quite a few times. However, the fact that she bounces back may indicate something else. The bath is always worth a try though! It’s my go-to with waddling or lethargic hens. Even if it’s not a vent problem, my hens have always enjoyed a nice warm bath and preening afterwards